Our hearts and prayers are with your family during this horrible time. We will always be thankful to Matt for his willingness to serve our country and for the the sacrifice he made. He is a hero to us.

Your son gave his all so we can have it all. He'll never be forgotten for his courage, his strength or his gift to us all. My prayers and thoughts are with you all but more than that... you have my thanks and my respect.

Tessa

P.S. My 7 year old said this when I explained why I was crying, "But... Momma... he died a good way... for a good reason. He's getting his reward now..."

A son, a sibling, a father, gone from the here and now but never ever forgotten. Not by his family for sure, but also by those of us who are eternally grateful for the sacrifice made by this selfless soldier, this man, and by his family as well.

Terry & Cheryl - I know you will always be proud of your son, please know there are many many of us who are proud of him too. I wish you peace, love, and offer my prayers.

For the war or not, the loss of any of our men and women in uniform is a time of great sadness. My thoughts and prayers are with you. Matt made a choice that few do in joining the military. He knew possibilities and enlisted anyway. Honor him for that, and respect you, his parent, for the support you gave him.

My thoughts and prayers are with you. Your son made a very brave decision to serve his country...our country. What a remarkable gift, which I do not take lightly. I know how brave you must be of him. God bless you.

i don't know you, but i thank you for what you've given to the world, and specifically this country. i am just one lucky person to benefit from your and your son's sacrifice. thank you, and know that you are loved by many.

Below is a beautiful poem someone sent me once. I found it very profound and couldn't resist sharing.

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Don’t Tell Me

Please don’t tell me you know how I feel, Unless you have lost your child too, Please don’t tell me my broken heart will heal, Because that is just not true, Please don’t tell me my son is in a better place, Though it is true, I want him here with me, Don’t tell me someday I’ll hear his voice, see his face, Beyond today I cannot see, Don’t tell me it is time to move on, Because I cannot, Don’t tell me to face the fact he is gone, Because denial is something I can’t stop, Don’t tell me to be thankful for the time I had, Because I wanted more, Don’t tell me when I am my old self you will be glad, I’ll never be as I was before, What you can tell me is you will be here for me, That you will listen when I talk of my child, You can share with me my precious memories, You can even cry with me for a while, And please don’t hesitate to say his name, Because it is something I long to hear everyday, Friend please realize that I can never be the same, But if you stand by me, you may like the new person I become someday. Judi Walker (In Memory of Shane) Copyright 1998

My heart is with you during this sorrowful time! Thank you for raising a TRUE American hero! Your son sacrificed his life so that we may be free. He will never be forgotten! My thoughts and prayers are with you!

I am so very sorry for your loss. Please know that your sacrifice and that of your son will be forever honored in my heart. I thank him for what he has done for me and mine. May God comfort you and give you strength and patience until you meet with Matt in heaven.

In our end is our beginning; in our time, infinity;In our doubt there is believing, in our life, eternity,In our death, a resurrection; at the last, a victory,Unrevealed until its season, something God alone can see.

In your time of loss, may the comfort of family and friends bolster your spirits and provide you with the foundation you need to get through these sad days.

Your love for your son Matt is surely as timeless as it is endless and nothing can take that away.

We are so sorry for your loss. My husband and I are both former enlisted and our hearts go out to you and your family. We wish you peace in this very difficult time. Please remember that there are so many of us out here that truly appreciate the job your son did for our country. We are so grateful to him and to you for supporting him as a soldier.

We are so very very sorry for the loss of your son. My prayers are with you and your family. I hope that you can get past your grief to think of Matt, in heaven, doing whatever he loved to do best. All of those people who put the yellow ribbons on their cars do it so that you, the grieving parents, can realize that everyone of us appreciates your son and the job he did. I hope they bring you some small comfort.

A friend of mine died recently fighting a different kind of war (cancer). His wife shared a poem that she found comforting:

Do not stand at my grave and weepI am not there; I do not sleep.I am a thousand winds that blow,I am the diamond glints on snow,I am the sun on ripened grain,I am the gentle autumn rain.When you awaken in the morning's hush,I am the swift uplifting rushOf quiet birds in circled flight.I am the soft stars that shine at night.Do not stand at my grave and cry,I am not there; I did not die.

As a mom of three grown sons, I can not imagine your grief. May the knowledge that so many people feel this loss give you some comfort. You have raised a boy into a man who understood the true meaning of love...serving others. I hope you can still feel a sense of pride through the sense of loss. He is a hero...and a son who learned his parent's lessons well. May God wrap ypu up in comfort and give you peace.

Thank you for raising a son who loved this country to not just fight for it, but die for it as well. I am truly sorry for your loss. He died as a hero and has the eternal gratitude of myself and my family for doing his part in making this country better. We will keep you in our prayers.

my heart aches for all who knew your Matt; I know it doesn't mean much in this situation but I'm sorry for your loss and I hope you can take comfort in these words and well wishes from so many. God Bless.

My deepest condolences and heartfelt prayers to you and yours. My husband and I are both former Army enlisted, and we would like to pay our respects to a fellow soldier and his family. God Bless you all...

Words are not enough. But you have my (and my family's) sincere gratitude that your son served his country so honorably and was willing to sacrifice. May God grant him eternal rest and may all of you who mourn his loss be comforted. And may all of us here, who are protected by young men like your son, be forever grateful for their service, hard work, honor and sacrifice.

All I can think of is that your son must have had great pride in his service to his country. What can anyone say to make things better? Unfortunately, nothing. Just know that our prayers are with you, and our thoughts as well.

My heart goes out to you at your loss. Your brave son who gave his life for his country will be rembered for generations as a hero of our nation. Thank you to him, for my children can sleep in peace at night because of his sacrifice. Thank You for raising this hero.

My thoughts and prayers are with you and your family at this horribly difficult time. Your loss is unimaginable and truely makes many of us stop and realize what we all have and often take for granted every day. Please know that you have many friends, family and those like me that you don't know that are thinking of you, care, and appreciate the choice you and your son made to make our country a better place. For that we thank you and your son deeply!

I so very sorry for your loss. I pray that you will find peace during this time.

Your son is a hero for his sacrifice for our country and for me personally as a citizen. It's heros like your son that make this world a safer and better place to live. God bless you and your family at this time of sorrow.

My heart is heavy with sadness as I read about your loss. Please know that I am very grateful that you and your son were willing to give his life for our freedom. I will forevert be grateful for this unselish act and ultimate sacrifice. Your son is a hero, you are parents of a hero. All I can say is thank-you and may GOd be with you and your family always. dot

There are no words, nothing that can be said, to give you comfort, I am sure. Your loss has been tremendous. All we can hope is that being here -- thinking of you right now all around the country and the world -- will honor your son as he should be honored.

I have tears in my eyes looking at all those pictures of his final homecoming...seeing the people lined the street as his caravan passes. It gave me goosebumps. The tears would be flowing down my face if my 4-yr old daughter wasn't around, but she would ask me why I was sad.

My husband is in the Air Force currently deployed and this touches my heart in so many ways.

I'm so very sorry for your loss, a loss that is just unimaginable, unless you've been through it. My heart aches for your family.

Thank you to your son Matt for his selfless service to our country and I'm deeply sorry he paid the ultimate sacrafice. My prayers are with you.

I didn't know Matthew but I am very proud and very sad and very greatful for his service to our country. I will pray for your family and friends. You have a very wonderful community to come out and support the family.

My heart breaks and aches for you as I know the long road all of you must travel. The journey is long and lonely. Losses like this in life are not fair or understandable. After losing 3 loved ones in just a few years I have learned much about the people that will walk this road with you. They are ones that you would least expect and some of the ones that you expect to be there are not and so you add dissappointment to the mix. The only peace and hope I have found is in God. "I know the plans I have for you says the Lord, they are plans for good not evil, to give you a future and a hope." You will not feel like this at all for a very long time but in time it will come if you want to honor your loved one.

I know that the words of a stranger must do little to ease the enormity of pain that you are feeling right now. But for later, when the pain has lessened enough so that you can breathe a deep breath, please hear this: Thank you.

Thank you.

From me, and from so many others who've never had to personally sacrifice on behalf of this nation, thank you for the enormity of Matt's sacrifice. As a fellow parent, I stand in solidarity with you. I am so, so sorry for your loss.

I did not know Matt, but his life as illustrated in Jenn's blog has touched me deeply. I will not forget him.

Matt was a friend of mine my whole life....we were born only 5 days apart. I played soccer with him in the summertimes, and we would hang out every now and again in high school. I am especially lucky, though, because these last two years we have gotten to be closer through email and instant messaging. Matt was a funny guy - wicked sense of humor and a smile to light up a room. He was sweet and gentle and kind and he was so very proud of all that he did in Afghanistan. I used to threaten to move in with him and Daniela in Italy because I was so jealous of their life and home there! He was a true hero, and I am proud and blessed to have called him a friend.

Words cannot describe the sorrow with which I write this....we have all lost an amazing man. I wish that I could be in Michigan this week - I am sorry that I can't. My heart is there with you all and I pray with each breath that you find peace and comfort knowing that Matt was so very proud of what he was doing. I am so very saddened and my heart breaks for you.

Just looking at these photos, my eyes burned with the welling of fresh tears. Seeing people line the road, hands to hearts, our flag waving...for your son. May he rest in peace, and may God, your family, your friends, and the kindness of strangers, be a comfort to you in your loss.

God bless you, your family, and may Matt be remembered for all he did in his lifetime. I don't even know him, and he has my gratitude for representing a nation that gives me freedoms found nowhere else on earth.

My heart goes out to you. I come from a military family, five generations who have served in the military - Civil War, WW I, WW II, Vietnam. My husband is a 20 yr. Navy vet., our daughter served 6 yrs. in the Navy.Standing up for our country is important. The men and women who lay their lives on the line for us are so important, and not thanked nearly enough.Your son will be remembered even by those of us who have never met him. May God bless you!

We are so incredibly sorry for your terrible, terrible loss of your amazing son, Matt. The pain is beyond comprehension. Please know as a Christian, mother, wife and American, I love him and his sacrifice because without it, America would not exist. He is a true hero in every sense of the word.

I'm a Mum of 3 grown children and can understand the pain you are going through. I'm so sorry for your loss but wanted to take this moment to thank you for your son who bravely gave his life that we may be free. You are in my heart and prayers, God bless you and your family and keep you in His arms. x

Blessings to Matt for committing to serving his country and trying his best to do what he thought right for all.

To his family I send a prayer and a heartfelt message of condolence for your loss. I know he carried your love for him and that you felt his love in return. I cannot imagine your pain, but I want to say thank you for loving someone who gave of himself.

No words can adequately comfort you... we are simply so very, very sorry. Know that your son, Matt, continues to be loved and will not be forgotten. May friends, relatives and strangers comfort you as you grieve in the hours, days and years to come.

Such a terrible loss to you and your family. My nephew had three tours in Iraq and we were terrified the entire time. I will call him tonight just to hear his voice and ask him to join us in remembering another fine young man lost far, far too soon.

May you someday find peace, or at least a way through this lonesome place.

I'm so sorry for the loss of your son. May you both feel God's loving arms round about you as you face the days ahead. I am so thankful for the brave souls who are fighting for our freedom. May we never waste their efforts.

Thank you. What your son stood for will never be forgotten through the passage of time. I'm so sorry that his life was taken, I'm crying for you, with you tonight. I'll pray God's arms around you tonight and always.

Our hearts and prayers are with you at this time. I cannot imagine the loss you feel. He will be in your heart forever and you can talk to him in those quiet moments. He knows that you will love him forever.